2014 Simferopol incident

Battle of Simferopol
	Part of the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the Russo-Ukrainian War
Date	18 March 2014
Location	Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine44°58′30″N 34°08′35″E / 44.975°N 34.143°E
Result	Russian victory Ukrainian military base captured; First combat deaths of the Annexation of Crimea; Ukrainian military begins withdrawal from Crimean peninsula the next day;
Belligerents
Ukraine	Russia; Crimea
Commanders and leaders
Col. Andriy Andryushyn ; Serhiy Kokurin †	Maj. Gen. Alexey Dyumin; (SOF commander); Col. Alexander Popov; Col. Igor Strelkov
Units involved
Armed Forces of Ukraine Ukrainian Navy 13th photogrammetric center; ; ;	Russian Armed Forces Special Operations Forces; ; Supported by: Registered Cossacks of the Russian Federation; Crimean Self-Defense Forces;
Strength
20, including civilians	15 masked operators; (SOF commandos); Unknown number of Crimean self-defense forces
Casualties and losses
1 serviceman killed,; 2 wounded,; 18 captured (later released)	1 killed, (Cossack paramilitary); 3 wounded
	Notes: Cause of deaths disputed

On 18 March 2014, a Ukrainian soldier and a Russian Cossack paramilitary were killed in the first case of bloodshed during the Russo-Ukrainian War and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

Russian media and Crimean authorities stated the day after that a 17-year-old Ukrainian had been detained, but on the day following that the Crimean prosecutor denied any detentions.

None of the accounts of this event could be verified independently. The Ukrainian and the Crimean authorities provided conflicting reports of the event. The two casualties had a joint funeral attended by both Crimean and Ukrainian authorities. The event continues to be under investigation by both the Crimean authorities and the Ukrainian military.